PICTURES: Felpham and Middleton rose and sweet pea show

The roses were particularly spectacular, though all classes were well supported with many excellent exhibits.

Paul Sedgwick, the society’s press officer, said: “The recent high winds may have taken their toll on the number of entries in both the rose and the sweet pea classes but fortunately new entrants were received in both classes and those exhibits that were staged were of a particularly high standard.

“The beautiful floral art displays were a joy to see, with the winner of the Wedding Day class being an absolutely stunning, two-tiered arrangement of white roses and carefully-selected foliage.

“The miniature class, It’s a Small World, attracted a large number of entries, with the first place being taken by a charming arrangement of small flowers and foliage on a base with small model ducks.”

Many of the horticultural classes were won by new exhibitors and the prizes well distributed across a large number of people.

Several examples of unusual plants won prizes, like stems of flowering bottle brush and beautiful spider lilies.

The bonsai class was won by an eye-catching bonsai fir, which had no doubt taken many years to reach its current condition, displayed on an equally eye-catching base.

Among the vegetable classes, the judge was faced with a dilemma in the ‘any other vegetable’ class, trying to distinguish the better entry between a cauliflower and an entry of peas, both of which he considered to be flawless. In the end, the decision favoured the cauliflower, since this was a named variety, whereas the peas were not identified by name.

The strawberries were probably the most mouth-watering exhibits, with the broad bean class attracting the most entries.

The hosta class attracted a large number of entries, including a wide variety of shapes and sizes of leaves. The displays of flowering shrubs and mixed foliage were both well supported, with many entries af a very high standard.

The classes of pot plants produced great variety of size and shape, including several beautiful orchids, many interesting cacti and succulents.

Trophy winners were S. Harris for most outstanding rose exhibit and most points in rose classes; M. Howard for most outstanding sweet pea exhibit and most points in sweet pea classes; P. Foster for most points in classes 22-35; A. Travers for best pot plant; S. Dean for best exhibit in floral art; M.B. Howard for most points in fruit and vegetables, K. Hay for most points in show.

The next meeting of the society will be held on Tuesday at St Mary’s Centre, Grassmere Close, Felpham, at 7.30pm, when Andy Stevens, head gardener at Borde Hill Gardens, will give a talk.

The third and final show of the year is the flower and produce show on Saturday, August 19, at 2pm. For show schedules, telephone the show secretary on 01243 587753 or visit www.fandmhs.co.uk for more information.